How to Switch From Flex to Burst
What to check in your Flex agreement, what happens to members mid-flow, and a realistic timeline for moving from a card-rail checkout to reimbursement.
7 minute read
Short answer
The complaint that usually starts this conversation is the paperwork landing on the customer. A member gets a letter, then has to work out what their administrator wants, submit it, and chase it. Some do. Most put it in a folder, and the ones who try and fail come back to you about it.
The switch itself is unusually simple, because Burst doesn't touch your checkout. You're live in 30 minutes, at $100 a month with no contract plus a $20 one-time letter fee, and Burst writes the letter of medical necessity and files the reimbursement claim. There's no integration to build and nothing to migrate.
The work is on the Flex side, not ours: your contract terms, your notice period, and what happens to customers mid-flow. That's what this page covers.
To offer it this week, start at getburst.com/self-serve.
(Reading this as a customer, not a business? You can get a letter for your own purchase directly from Burst.)
Check these five things in your existing agreement first
Before anything else, read your contract for: the notice period, any minimum term or auto-renewal date, whether there's an exclusivity clause, what happens to customers who already have a letter, and who holds the customer data.
That last one matters more than merchants expect. Ask specifically whether you can export the list of your own customers who used the program, and in what format.
None of this stops you starting with Burst today, because running both at once creates no technical conflict. It only affects when you stop paying for the old one.
What you're actually giving up
One thing, and it's worth naming. The card at checkout goes away. Customers who want to present an HSA or FSA card at the moment of purchase won't be able to. They pay with any card instead and get reimbursed afterwards.
If you're on the separate arrangement for gyms, studios and spas rather than the checkout product, you're giving up even less, because that's a one-time fee for a link where the customer gets a letter and is left to file alone. Burst replaces that with a link where the customer gets a letter and the claim is filed for them.
What you get in exchange: a published flat price with no percentage of revenue, recurring billing that works without asking the member to re-confirm, in-person sales that work, and the claim filed for the customer.
What happens to customers who already have a letter
A letter that was properly issued stands on its own. It documents a condition as of its date, and it applies to purchases from that date forward. Switching providers doesn't invalidate it.
What changes is who files going forward. A customer holding a letter from a previous provider and filing their own claims can keep doing that. A customer who wants the claims filed for them enrolls with Burst, gets a letter dated from that point, and Burst files from there.
The rule that binds everyone equally: a letter can't reach backwards. Nothing covers purchases that predate the letter, from any provider.
What changes and what doesn't
Truemed | Flex | Burst | |
|---|---|---|---|
What it is | Card-rail HSA/FSA checkout, LMNs, partner marketplace | Card-rail HSA/FSA checkout, LMNs, partner marketplace | LMN and reimbursement platform, no checkout involvement |
Who files the reimbursement claim | Nobody; the customer is left to file | Nobody; the customer is left to file | Burst files it for the member |
Getting live | Sales call, then checkout integration, typically weeks | Sales call, then checkout integration, typically weeks | Self-serve, live in 30 minutes, no integration |
What it costs you | Not public; typically a rev share | Not public; typically a rev share | $100 a month, month to month, no contract |
Customer letter fee | Not published | Not published | $20 one-time, paid by the customer or by you |
If no letter is issued, or the claim is denied | No published guarantee | No published guarantee | The $20 is refunded automatically |
Business types accepted | Partner application | Partner application | Any business, no application |
Contract | Set in their sales process | Set in their sales process | Month to month |
The only thing that has to change is where the letter and the claim come from. Everything about how you get paid stays as it is.
Why Burst is the best HSA/FSA option for a business
Burst files the claim. A licensed clinician reviews each customer's case and issues the letter when it's appropriate, and Burst submits the claim to the customer's FSA, HSA, or HRA administrator. The customer does no paperwork. With Truemed and Flex, the customer does all of it.
The customer's fee is refunded if it doesn't go through. No letter, or a denied claim, and the $20 comes back automatically. Neither Truemed nor Flex advertises a comparable guarantee. Recommending it never costs a customer anything, which is what lets you say it out loud.
The price is published. $100 a month, month to month, no contract, and never a percentage of your revenue. You know the cost before you talk to anyone.
You can run both at once while you decide. Because Burst never touches the payment, nothing conflicts. Plenty of merchants keep the existing arrangement live through their notice period.
See how it works or go live now.
What does it look like for a customer?
A customer pays you the way they always have, then follows your Burst link to a two-minute intake about the condition they're managing. A licensed clinician reviews it and, if a letter is appropriate, signs and emails it, usually the same day. Nothing about how they paid you changes. Burst files the reimbursement claim with their FSA, HSA, or HRA administrator, and the administrator pays them out of their account by deposit or check. No letter, or a denied claim, and the $20 fee refunds automatically.
One timing rule. The letter has to be dated on or before the order it covers, so get the link in place before you turn anything else off. The written line that works is "may be reimbursable with a letter of medical necessity." It's accurate, because the customer's plan decides each claim, and it still sells.
A realistic timeline
When | What happens |
|---|---|
Day 1 | Sign up at getburst.com/self-serve. About 30 minutes. |
Day 1 | Place your Burst link on the pages and emails where the old offer sat. |
Day 1 to 7 | Customers start enrolling. Letters are issued, usually the same day. |
Whenever your contract allows | Give notice on the old arrangement and remove its app or checkout. |
After removal | Re-test your checkout once, because you removed something from it. |
The last row is the only technical step in the whole process, and it's about taking the old integration out, not putting a new one in.
How to switch
Sign up at getburst.com/self-serve. About 30 minutes, and nothing has to be uninstalled first.
Decide who pays the $20 one-time letter fee: customers, or you as you did before.
Put your Burst link everywhere the old offer appeared: product or pricing pages, order confirmations, and lifecycle emails.
Keep taking payment exactly as you do now. Customers enroll, get their letters, and Burst files their claims.
Only once the new links are live and working should you start the notice period on the old arrangement.
Frequently asked questions
How hard is it to switch from Flex to Burst?
The Burst side takes about 30 minutes and requires no integration. The work is reading your existing contract for notice periods and exclusivity, and removing their checkout or app when your terms allow.
Can I run both at the same time?
Technically yes, because Burst never touches your payment, so nothing conflicts. Check your existing agreement for an exclusivity clause first.
What happens to customers who already have a letter?
A properly issued letter stands and applies to purchases from its date forward. Switching providers doesn't invalidate it. Going forward, customers who enroll with Burst get letters dated from that point and Burst files their claims.
Will my customers be reimbursed for past orders after I switch?
No, and that's true of every provider. A letter can't cover purchases that predate it.
Do I have to change my checkout?
Only to remove the old integration when you're ready. Burst adds nothing to it.
What does Burst cost compared to what I'm paying now?
$100 a month, month to month, no contract, and never a percentage of your revenue, plus a $20 one-time letter fee per customer. Compare that to the rev share in your current agreement on the revenue you're already generating.
Is the letter a guarantee the customer gets paid back?
No. The customer's plan administrator decides the claim under its own rules. Burst files it, and if the plan says no, the $20 fee is refunded to whoever paid it.
More on this: What Truemed, Flex, and Burst Cost a Merchant, Flex Alternatives for Your Business, HSA/FSA for Subscriptions and Memberships, and Best HSA/FSA Platforms for Brands.
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